Various books and websites use a ‘toolkit’ metaphor to describe a collection of resources they offer to leaders and managers. This metaphor invites readers to think about the addition of new or more specialised tools helping expand one’s skills and abilities, and so being more productive and/or promotable. For some, the toolkit or toolbox metaphor… Continue reading Tools and Their Users: plus parable
Month: January 2024
Are We Managing Human Resources or Human Beings?
Some of the fatalistic and dystopian predictions of recent years about robotic futures and the elimination of the need for human workers were overblown. On the other hand, there remains a strong imperative in some quarters to push forward with workforce substitution using a range of technologies. It would be hyperbolic to call this a… Continue reading Are We Managing Human Resources or Human Beings?
Slips of the ear & tongue: eggcorns, mondegreens, & malapropisms
A ‘slip of the tongue’ is one way we refer to an error in our speech, but a ‘slip of the ear’ can catch us out as well. Directors or executives who have spent long hours in board meetings over many years are likely to recall numerous incidents where a speaker used the wrong word.… Continue reading Slips of the ear & tongue: eggcorns, mondegreens, & malapropisms